Play Violent Video Game In Venezuela... And Face Jailtime

from the that-seems-productive dept

Back at the end of last year, we wrote about how Venezuela has passed an anti-violent video game law, claiming that was what was causing violence in the country. Our post quoted someone in Venezuela explaining just how ridiculous this was. Well, now Slashdot points us to the news that Venezuela has officially begun enforcing the law, and it doesn't just ban the import, production or sale of such games -- as we'd heard originally -- but also the use. And, if you're caught doing any of those things, you can get two to five years in jail. Which do you think is likely to make someone more violent? Playing Modern Warfare 2 at home, or being sent to jail for two years?

venezuela

I'm glad Venezuela has such idiotic laws, this will cause a sympathy for the gaming industry. Games seem to be blamed for all the society's flaws and in my opinion they don't deserve to be used as scapegoats.

Censorship is not the answer

That is the worst law ever enacted in Venezuela. I am absolutely opposed to the myth against violent video games. It is a bogus law. That law is violative of the United States Constitutional, so it should not be enacted in the United States. Video game censorship is not the answer to violence in society. I will never step foot in Venezuela, and Hugo Chavez is a dictator. Too many people serving time for bogus crimes usually end up in prison in conjunction with murderers and drug lords. Posession of violent video games or toys is just a bogus crime (or bonum sed prohibitum) in Venezuela. Prohibiting posession of violent video games is not the answer to violence in society. That law will do more harm than good. I hate bogus crime laws, and they must be repealed. We gamers must act now. The Entertainment Consumers Association must respond on behalf of the Venezuelan gaming populace. We must file a petition against this bogus law. Venezuela is a dictatorship, but that country no longer has the death penalty. Video games do not deserve to be used as scapegoats for society's ills. Censorship is not the answer to violence in society. Their next move is to regulate Internet media, and then motion pictures, and then all other forms of freedom of speech.